Symposium on Research Methods for Clinical and Comparative Effectiveness Studies – Part II

Medical Care Supplement

In June 2009, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality convened an invitational symposium on research methods for clinical and comparative effectiveness studies. The project is a direct followup to the 2006 conference on Emerging Methods in Comparative Effectiveness and Safety. The major themes for the symposium were developed with substantial input from external stakeholders, researchers, and federal officials who have expertise in comparative effectiveness research. With this input, a Planning Committee of experts from academia, the private sector, and government determined that the symposium would emphasize (a) ways to enhance the inclusion of clinically heterogeneous populations in clinical and comparative effectiveness studies; and (b) methods to implement longitudinal investigations that capture longer term health outcomes, including patient-reported outcomes. Cutting across these themes were four major content areas for which abstracts were solicited from scientists across the United States: (1) study design, (2) data collection, (3) statistics and analytic methods, and (4) policy issues and applications.

The symposium proceedings are published in a supplement to the June 2010 issue of the journal Medical Care. A printed copy of the supplement is available free of charge through the AHRQ Publications Clearinghouse. To order the supplement call toll free 800-358-9295 or send an email to AHRQpubs@ahrq.hhs.gov. The AHRQ publication number is OM10-0067.